


An Unexpected Visitor

by lha



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-11 13:18:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13525101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lha/pseuds/lha
Summary: **SPOILERS**Explicitly for S01 E12: Vaulting Ambition and for everything before it.  Author has seen (and probably been influenced by Episode 13: What's Past is Prologue AND The preview of Episode 14 from After Trek and they may well come into play later.**SPOILERS**Katrina Cornwell opens the door to her apartment to an unexpected visitor.





	1. Chapter 1

Katrina had learnt long ago to never underestimate Gabriel Lorca, but even then it took several moments for her to believe who it was that was standing on her doorstep of her San Francisco home.

“Gabriel?” she asked, astounded. He was a mess, he looked like he’d been brawling but more than that he looked exhausted, worn thin and gaunt. “How? Where’s Discovery?” she asked, in a rush.

“Long story, gonna let me in?” Katrina didn’t step out of the way, instead extending her arm to block the doorway.

“Not until you tell me how in hell you got here and what happened to Discovery & her crew.”

“Well, in a fascinating turn of events I walked here from the commercial docking port. And I know nothing about Discovery except what’s been running on the news wire.”

“Give me a break Gabe,” she said with a sigh, “you were on the bridge when they made the jump and vanished. What the hell happened?” 

“I don’t know! I’ve never set foot on that bloody ship. Look, I know that it sounds ridiculous but… at least let me in? I promise… I'll try and explain it as best as I can.” 

It was the request of a man at the end of his tether and she believed that was exactly where he was. She was also increasing sure that if it wasn't for the jam he was leaning against he would be struggling to stay upright. Now that she was looking properly, she could see that his all black clothing was in tatters; the leather jacket he was holding closed with a split knuckled hand was burst at the shoulder seam and dirty in a way that took time a exposure to all sorts of elements.

“Please Katrina,” he said after a moment without a hint of seduction or charm, “I don't know where else I can go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point I have a (very much) wishful thinking hypothesis about the introduction of Prime!Lorca. More info on twitter @LHA_again  
> Thanks for reading & do let me know your thoughts!  
> Lx


	2. Chapter 2

Katrina had let him in, of course she had, and now he was lying sprawled across her couch. The fact that he hadn’t downed the glass of whisky she’d left on the coffee table or mocked her choice of music yet, only increased her growing concern. She took a bowl of water and the cloth back into the living room, pausing to watch him while he still thought he was unobserved. His eyes were closed, exhaustion and pain written on every line of his face and while he looked like he’d aged a decade and lost half his body weight in the process, she suddenly was struck by the fact that this was the Gabriel she’d struggled to see on Discovery. That night when she’d ended up in his bed, which in hindsight had been a mistake and had ended spectacularly badly, she had looked at him and realised the man she knew was lost. The Gabriel she had known had been swallowed by the anxiety, guilt, drive and compulsions that seemed to have been swirling inside him since the Buran has been lost. 

“When was the last time you ate?” she asked tersely by way of announcing her return. 

“Not hungry,” he said, without opening his eyes. “Really not hungry,” he emphasised as he rearranged himself with a grimace. Katrina sat on the coffee table opposite him watching him move with concern. 

“Will you let me take a look?”

“I didn’t think you were that type of doctor?”

“I’m not, but they did make me do enough anatomy that I’m better qualified to tell whether you’re dying than you are.”

“I’m not,” he said unconvincingly.

“Well I don’t currently trust your ability to judge that or accurately self-report.” There was a dry, empty snort in response but it was curtailed by a pained moan.

“That's it. Let me see or I’m going to fetch my medical tricorder.” She leant forward and prised open the coat, pulling the fabric free from the clawed fingers that were still clasping it.

She'd half expected to find blood soaking his side, a raged gash or a bubbling stab wound but his top was dry and free from any obvious stains. Glancing up at his pale face, she pushed up the fabric and hissed at the sight beneath. 

“Have you had a run in with a Kelpien?” she asked not really joking. Lifting the top further she visually inspecting the massive bruising to his side and the ominously misshapen and terribly obvious ribs.

“Funny story,” he said, shying away from her touch, “It was a Tellarite.”

“When did it happen?” The bruising was developed but was still all blues and purples.

“Few days ago, it’s fine really. Please stop poking.”

“I’m not poking, I’m palpating.”

“Well please don’t.” Looking up again, she saw the sweat beaded across his forehead and blood welling from his split lip he must have reopened when he grimaced. 

“I need to establish how bad the damage is and, as you pointed out, I’m not this kind of doctor so I don’t actually have a medical scanner here. So it’s this, or I’m calling for an emergency medical beam out now.”

“No. You can’t. I told you… it’s complicated.”

“Well lie down then and let me see if I can establish how badly you should be getting proper treatment.” She knew the answer to that already really, but if she could establish that there wasn’t massive internal bleeding that would at least give her time to get him to tell her what the hell was going on. He accepted her help to remove the leather coat and the top beneath, and then to lie down fully. “Have you been peeing blood?” she asked, recommencing her examination. Gabriel scowled and she checked that symptom box. “Coughing?”

“Not if I can avoid it.” Katrina counted to ten in Vulcan and wished not for the first time that her domestic replicator was up to producing a scanner. 

“I need to see your back,” she said and was relieved when he capitulated and let her help him turn over. The effort left Gabriel panting and she sat back on her haunches allowing him a moment to gather himself before she continued investigating the edges of the bruising. Along with his ribs, she could see his vertebrae and shoulder blades far too clearly through his skin and there was dried blood running down his neck and back from what looked like a head wound. “When did this happen?” she asked, gently feeling around in his hair for the injury and finding a distinct lump.

“That was the Tellarite too,” his voice was muffled by the cushions but he sounded like he was only half awake, “or his bulkhead I think.”

“Any loss of consciousness? Double vision? Nausea or vomiting?”

“I wish, no and yes but as you have already noticed my insides have taken a bit of a beating.” His pupils had looked ok, so they were probably in the clear but head wounds always bled a lot. Reaching for the bowl of cooling water and the cloth, she remembered only just in time, to warn him before she began cleaning away the blood.

“I’m just going to get the worst of this off.”

“Oh, sorry. I’m revolting and I’m…” It was as though the fact that he clearly hadn’t showered in some time had only just struck him and he tried to push himself up and off her couch though he didn’t get very far. Katrina stopped the doomed attempt with the simple act of placing a hand on his shoulder.

“You’ve certainly smelt fresher but it’s ok, I just meant the blood.” Once she was sure he wasn’t about to attempt to bolt again and potentially puncture his lung in the process, she wrung out the cloth and began to wipe the dried red fluid away. A distant memory struck her as she worked her way down from his hairline and he relaxed like a giant cat beneath her ministrations, of how he’d always loved having his back rubbed. Working at a particularly sticky patch, she thought again of the disastrous night on Discovery, of how she’d gone to trace the new scar, only to come face to face with a phase pistol. Though her defences had gone up as soon as she’d seen him and would remain so until she at least knew why Gabriel was there and what possible reason he had to want to avoid the authorities, her instincts and her psychiatric training were both telling her that he was not a threat. With a final sweep of the cloth across the newly cleaned skin though, something jumped out at her.

“You’ve had the scar removed?” she asked, staring at where she was certain it had been. While most injuries could be healed well enough that you’d likely never be able to spot them, Gabriel had always kept a collection of marks he referred to as reminders. There were several scars visible beneath his newer injuries but that particular mark, the one she’d tried to trace was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you've enjoyed and I'd love to hear your thoughts here or on twitter @LHA_again  
> Lx


	3. Chapter 3

Gabriel hadn’t answered Katrina’s question about the scar because he’d fallen asleep, one arm and his head hanging off the side of the cushions. Despite his exhaustion she didn’t think he’d rest long so she left him be. Meanwhile, she went to raid her bathroom cabinet to see what she had that might tide him over until she could get him to an actual medical facility. When she’d collected everything she thought might help alleviate the worst of his discomfort she retreated to the kitchen to find something that she might be able to convince him to eat. All the while though, questions were racing through her mind; everyone who they’d been able to release from the front line of the war had been set to trying to establish what had happened to Discovery but given the classified nature of the work they’d been doing and the erratic behaviour Gabriel had been displaying beforehand it had been hard going. 

The scientists that they’d brought in were floundering and it turned out that a basic understanding of Astromycology was not a good enough grounding to understand the intricacies of the spore drive that they’d been using when they’d disappeared. Eight months on, and while no one was saying it, the focus had shifted away from finding Discovery and towards recreating the spore drive. Katrina had come to accept that even if he wasn't dead, she would never see Gabriel again. And then he’d turned up at her door.

She watched him as he began to shift, his sleep disturbed by either by discomfort or something in his subconscious mind. Every time over the last twenty years that she had thought she had the measure of him, Gabe had blown her preconceptions out of the window. 

“‘t’s rude to stare,” he mumbled, his eyes still closed.

“It’s also rude to arrive at someone's home without warning, invite yourself in and then fall asleep on their coach.”

“M'tired Trina. And sore. It’s warm and safe here.”

“I've got something to take the edge off the pain for you,” she said, “but I need you to eat and I have to have some answers Gabriel. I need to know what the hell’s going on.” This must have gotten through, as slowly and cautiously he pushed himself upright. If she thought that the short rest might have done him good, it seemed like she was wrong. He looked grey, even his lips seemed paler now and while logically she knew it was unlikely that this long after the initial injury he’d started bleeding out, it didn't stop the worry.

“Here,” she said, leaning in and delivering a double dose of her emergency stash before he could protest, and then sitting back down on the coffee table so she could observe him.

“Hmmm,” he said after a moment, some of the tension easing from his taught shoulders.

“Drink,” she said, handing him a mug of broth He took a mouthful, his eyes closing as he obviously savoured the soup. 

“I… I’m not sure how I can…” he began, “I mean, I don’t even… it’s been months and I still don’t really understand.”

“Can you start at the beginning?” she asked.

“That was my intention,” he said dryly, a sliver of his old self visible before he frowned, anxiety creasing his brow. “Just, please promise me that you’ll hear me out? I… there’s so much I just can’t explain and I… I can hardly convince myself that it really happened some days.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I got a little distracted by re-watching earlier episodes and re-visiting some pre-reveal fic however, new chapter!
> 
> Thanks as ever for reading and I can't wait to hear your thoughts here or on twitter @LHA_again
> 
> Lx


	4. Chapter 4

  
“It was a Tuesday, I can’t remember the date but the Buran had just returned to patrol duties after scheduled time in dock. Patil and I had worked on after the end of the Alpha shift doing crew evaluations, I… I just wanted them done.” He drifted for a moment, something akin to regret settling on his features. “She went straight to the mess but I was going to work out so I went back to my quarters to change. I knew something was wrong as soon as the door opened but I didn’t see what in time.

“I… when I realised that there was someone else there, it was too late. He, hit me across the back of the head and the next thing I knew I was… I was tied to a chair and he was… I was… there was another version of me sitting there watching me.” Gabriel stopped again, eyes cast away as he took another sip. Katrina watched him, but said nothing. Her first thought was of disassociation, of a break with reality or a maladaptive coping mechanism that had him splitting the part of himself who had been in command on the Buran when it had been lost, from his own personality. Years of Psychiatric practice however, as well as the assurance she had given him that she’d hear him out, meant that she didn’t interrupt.

“He… he said he didn’t know what had happened but that he’d arrived in the transporter room several hours before. He thought it had something to do with an ion storm, that he’d been transporting through it and it must have influenced his destination. I don’t think… it was as though he came from somewhere else. He kept talking about things that I didn’t understand; he seemed to have been able to gain access to the computer but was asking me about what had happened to the Terran Empire, and talking about a coup and what had happened to the rest of his people.

“He was me Katrina,” Gabriel continued, glancing towards her and meeting her eye for the first time, “but the pieces of me I try to hide in the depths, the dark corners of my soul that I try to avoid, the desires I try to suppress, he seemed to embrace. The way he spoke about other people, other races, it sickens me.

“It seemed that during whatever time he’d had since his arrival, he, the other me had decided that his best course of action was to remain hidden. He was convinced that he would be imprisoned, experimented upon or just killed. I tried to convince him but even when he was reading about the Federation and how we operate, he wouldn’t be swayed.

“He asked me endless questions; about the Buran, my crew, myself and every time I tried to avoid answering or he thought I was being less than helpful he’d threaten to self destruct the ship. He’d… the computer recognised his voice pattern and he knew… he knew or guessed all my security codes. I tried… he had me tied up in my quarters for days but… it was like he could predict my every move. I must have re-broken my collarbone three times trying to break free but I never made it far.

“I don’t know how he managed it those first few day but he must have been doing a passable impersonation of me. Then he announced that I would be taking a few days shore leave, that he was borrowing a shuttle and would smuggle me off the ship. I… I thought, I had realised that his attitude to life and death was… different, expected that once he thought he knew everything he needed to that he would kill me. I'd accepted it, so what he was thinking I’m not sure.

“Once he’d found my personal sidearm, he made sure I was unconscious as well as bound, every time he left my quarters. I tried everything to break free, I realised that even if I wasn’t dead, as soon as I was out of the way he’d have a much freer reign. It was as though he saw all my moves in advance though and while once I managed to free an arm from my restraints but along with a broken collarbone I’d had to dislocated my shoulder and my thumb to get that far and he returned before I was able to do anything with my compromised arm.”

Katrina could see that he had abandoned the soup but she couldn’t bring herself to force him he looked so wretched. She could see the guilt as well as the trauma in every fibre of his frame and knew that no-one would ever be as hard on Gabriel Lorca as Gabriel Lorca.


	5. Chapter 5

“He kept me out till he’d gotten me off the ship.” His voice was hollow now, his expression slack. “I came to in the shuttle. He’d bound me inside a storage crate and I managed to get myself twisted round so that when he opened it could kick out. I got in a good blow but I hadn’t eaten in days and my ankles were still shackled and my arms were behind my back. I caught him in the face, but I was like a bug trapped in that box and even with the lid open I couldn’t get out. I tried to overturn it but it was secured to the wall and… He laughed. There was blood dripping down his face from a split brow but all he did was laugh at the futility of my attempt.” Katrina had been searching her memory trying to place the events he was describing, trying to see if she could find anything solid enough to count as evidence at least, if not proof that any of this had happened. 

And there it was; about this time, she had spoken to Gabriel over subspace just after he’d returned from a few days R&R and he’d looked like he’d been kicked in the face. They’d joked about what he’d been up to and he’d said something about an interspecies sparring tournament he’d participated in to help keep his hand in. When they were done, she’d contacted the CMO on the Buran and asked them to check him for orbital fractures given he obviously hadn’t gone for treatment voluntarily. She tried to think back on that conversation, tested her memory to see whether any other flags had been raised, he’d greeted her formally but Gabriel liked to wind her up that way. Perhaps ironically now, she had been so caught up in the fact that he’d had a head injury and not had it treated that nothing else had seemed all that important. It was tenuous at best but suddenly Katrina was absolutely convinced that it had happened just how Gabriel explained.

“We docked, I thought it was a landing dock but it must have… when I got out it felt like a station. He left me in the crate, I suppose he needed to find somewhere to leave me, someone to leave me with. I… it must have been more than a day I think… I’d lost all track of time but he wouldn’t have left me without water for much longer than that given the lengths he was going to to keep me alive.

“What he did, how he paid these men to hold me I don’t know, but he found a group who were more than equal to the task. They kept me chained, far enough away from the inhabited parts of the station, that any noise I made went unheard and no one would stumble over me. For the most part, they didn’t care about me. They brought enough food that I didn’t starve and swapped out a bucket of water and what passed for a latrine as often as they had to. Occasionally, they’d bring down a comms unit set it up and he’d ask questions. The first time he asked me about you, wanted to know if we were friends, more than friends.” A sad smile tugged at his lips. 

“They came to tell me when the war broke out, to tell me that the Buran was gone,” his voice shook and he lowered his gaze to his lap again. “They were… they said that they would sit on me as long as their payment was made and within a week he’d been back in touch with them. How he survived… I don’t know how he made it out, what really happened… I’ve thought about it more than I can bare. I mean, he killed my crew Katrina, one way or another, he killed my crew and they thought it was me.” As if his strings had been cut, he collapsed forward and to the side of the sofa away from her and sobbed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another chapter! I would quite like to wrap this up before the end of the season because it ties in with my predictions for the future of Lorca...  
> However, that might well be an unreasonable aim.  
> In any case, hope you enjoy this chapter and I'd love to hear your thoughts here or on twitter @LHA_again  
> Lx


	6. Chapter 6

The magnitude of what Gabriel was saying and the honest emotion of it was heart rendering. This was her friend, this was who she had expected to find when she’d finally tracked down where they’d taken them after the disaster with the Buran but he’d been so locked down she’d assumed that he’d been in shock, unable to process what had happened. When they’d announced that they were putting him in command of Discovery, she’d been surprised but he’d passed the tests and they were stretched so thin she knew it wasn’t an argument she would win. She knew that this was something that she would rehash and judge herself for but the time for her own recriminations was not here and now.

She started tentatively, placing her hand on Gabriel’s back and waiting for him to relax again before beginning to rub gentle circles. There was nothing she could say, no comfort she could really offer that would make this burden lighter. His breathing hitched as he cried, and she could feel him still as presumably his injured side protested. What happened next was the outcome of the combination of Gabriel’s mumbled warning and years of medical practice; she grabbed the decorative bowl from the table up-ending it so the variety of PADDs, stylus and other detritus that gathered there fell out, she managed to get it in front of him only moments after he started retching. 

Eventually when the fit passed, leaving Gabriel draped limply over the arming the sofa he mumbled;

“Sorry.”

“Shh,” she said briskly, daring to move her beautiful glass bowl with it's minimal if unpleasant contents back to the table. Gabriel was wracked with fine tremors now, shivering periodically as he tried to and availed to push himself upright. Katrina helped him ease back into the cushions before reaching for his wrist to take a note of his pulse. “You need to be in a medbay,” she said quietly.

“Can't… I… don't exist…”

“I'll make it work.”

“You don't… you can't… I…” he closed his eyes and took a careful breath before continuing. “While my jailors had started to become anxious about the increasing Klingon threat and obviously wanted to get away from the station, they were careful enough with me. They never unfastened the shackles, and while the chains were long enough that I could reach the buckets there was nothing else with my reach.

“It was only after Discovery disappeared that though their payment seemed to continue their doubts and fears overruled whatever obligation _he _had managed to coax from them. Another ship and crew gone under my apparent command…” he drifted for a moment before forecefulIy shuddering and seemed to draw himself back to the present. “I realised that they'd abandon me, leave me there to rot when they went. With _him _out of communication though, his hold on me was lifted, The threat of retribution against innocent members of a Starfleet crew I hadn't even met but who thought they served under me, lifted if he couldn't find out.____

____“I began to take risks I would not have before, trying everything and anything I could to break free. Eventually, one if them arrived after a longer than usual gap. I'd managed to free an arm and while I'd broken my thumb to achieve it, I'd found a sliver of metal and I was ready to give everything for a chance at escape. He looked at me for a moment before shrugging and saying the others were gone and he had better things to lose his life over. He unlocked my restraints and simply walked away._ _ _ _

____“I sat there for a while, uncertain what came next. Eventually I stumbled out of my confinement, my legs unused to being unchained and my muscles uncoordinated. I made use of communal showers in the station, I was rank with grime and… well I was noticeable in my lack of grooming. I stole clothes, and made my way to a Bureau. I’d had so long to think about it, that my plan was set in my mind. I'd withdraw as much local currency as I could on my account, even if _he _discovered I'd escaped and true for track me through such transactions he knew where I was starting out from.___ _ _ _

______“I couldn't though, there were secondary security protocols enacted on my accounts, measures to which I couldn't meet. He’d locked me out of my own records, my own accounts and databases. I'm no one Katrina, no official body or facility recognises me. He's erased me and I'm sure he's used the excuse of security to do it.” There was a dry, twisted smile to his lips now. “If you try and check me in, take ne to any official federation facility they be prompted to ask me for information I can't provide, codes I do not know, all on the name of the security of the Federation.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“So I'll book you directly to a secure ward as a John Doe. It's a remarkable story Gabriel and while I do believe you I understand your trepidation that many won't. We'll limit staff contact until we can work out how best to address this with command, but you need to be seen to properly.” His breaths were short and clipped now, and even at a distance she could hear the odd wet crackle and there was a familiar ominous glow to gaunt cheeks._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I've done things Kat,” he whispered, “I've done things… I'm not proud but I had to get back here… back to you… it was all I could think to do.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“And you've made it,” she replied quietly reaching over to brush the hair from his damp forehead. “You've made it and I'm going to look after you.”_ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies, this was mostly write on (& posted from) my phone which holds it own challenges. Also, it was mostly written in the pub while I drank cider (Again... apologies).
> 
> In any case I hope you enjoy, it will Monday evening our time before I watch the last part and while I am not entirely convinced that Mr Isaacs will not make an appearance it is really a forlorn hope.
> 
> Thanks as ever for reading and I'd love to hear your thoughts below, or on Twitter @LHA_again  
> Lx


	7. Chapter 7

Even in times of war, a war they were losing, when resources were tight and security tighter, there were certain privileges to being an Admiral in Starfleet. Katrina arranged the medical beam out into a secure room with no awkward questions, a minimum of fuss and not it transpired, too soon. If any of the security cleared medics recognised Gabriel, they didn’t bat an eye and within minutes they’d diagnosed a collapsing lung from a recent puncture, a flourishing lower respiratory infection and enough old and partially healed fractures, concussions and soft tissue injuries to show he’d certainly been through his own personal battles. 

“Hey there,” she said an hour later when his eyes started fluttering. “Take it easy, they’ve got you pumped full of all sorts.” He frowned at this but his eyelids were heavy, his blinks abnormally long. They’d sedated him at her request, and while it was a low dosage she was un-surprised that he was struggling to fight it off given how exhausted he was. “Just rest Gabe,” she told him. From the medical point of view it was certainly the best thing for him, and a good night’s sleep was what she’d wish for her friend, but the Admiral had other priorities.

Now that she’d had more than five minutes to think about it, the potential consequences of what Gabriel had told her were astounding. When Discovery had vanished she’d had a very open and honest conversation from her hospital bed about her concerns over Lorca. The rest of Command had taken her professional opinion on board, but there was a vast difference between a potentially unstable Starfleet Captain and a completely unknown enemy agent being in charge of their secret weapon when it went AWOL. During his fevered ramblings, Gabriel had told her enough about what it was that he’d had to do to cross so many light years with no official documents and no access to funds or support. It was a miracle that he’d made it at all, never mind that it had taken him months. It would be almost as hard to find the evidence of this journey however as of what Gabriel had told her had happened before it. Given time, they might be able to track down someone who would be willing to confirm they’d seen him but they didn’t have the time or resources to waste on that sort of investigation now.

Katrina left the treatment room and crossed to a small, secure, office area and keyed open a comms channel sto central Communications.

“This is Admiral Katrina Cornwell authorisation Pi Beta Six, I need a secure channel to Admiral Terral.” While she and her Vulcan colleague had not always seen eye to eye, what she needed now was a cool and logical take on a highly emotive tale. Predictably, Terral listened passively while she narrated what had happened, what Gabriel had told her and what it was that she thought about it. 

“You have acted wisely,” he said frankly when she reached the end, “and you are correct that the challenge will lie in verifying it. I may be able to offer some assistance in that matter however; I will ask Ambassador Sarek to join you as soon as he is able. He has a certain familiarity with the human mind which will make what I have planned more likely to succeed.”

The idea that the Ambassador explained on his arrival was both fascinating and terrifying. Katrina knew that there were many skills possessed by Vulcans that were almost beyond her comprehension, and had heard about this melding of minds he now spoke of. The idea that you could connect to, travel through and understand another person’s mind would be beyond enticing to anyone with her sort of specialism. On the other hand however, it was the deepest of invasions; a loss of all privacy, an exposure of all that you kept close in your soul. Perhaps a Vulcan might be able to redirect the meld, to shield something from the probing but the untrained thoughts of a human were, the Ambassador freely admitted, going to open before not like a book but like a folio of papers thrown in the air and lying in chaos on the floor.

Gabriel listened calmly to what it was that was being suggested before agreeing unreservedly. Again the doctor and friend fought with the Admiral; it was barely hours since he’d been admitted and if nothing else, his pallor as they helped him sit up against the pillows and his subdued demeanor were enough to tell her that he was neither physically or emotionally capable of providing meaningful consent. She did however let them proceed unchallenged and watched with bated breath while Sarek, perching on the edge of the biobed reached over and placed his fingers along Gabriel’s face. 

“My mind to your mind…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's fascinating how little difference the season finale has had on my plans and imagenings (mostly as my fave characters were not really involved at all)...
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed this chapter - there is one more and possibly an epilogue I think before it's done :)
> 
> As ever, I'd love to hear your thoughts here or on twitter @LHA_again
> 
> thanks for reading  
> Lx


	8. Chapter 8

Whatever had happened during the meld, by it’s completion Gabriel was shaken and exhausted and Sarek convinced that his story was true. Or, at least that Gabriel believed it to be true and that there were no signs that his memory had been tampered with. In the short term, this had a far greater impact on their attitude to Gabe than on anything to do directly with Discovery. It was a quick Command decision that this development was not something that they wanted widely known however, which in turn meant that they had to severely restrict Gabriel’s movements. While the crew of Discovery had not been advertised or been treated to the celebrity status of say, the Enterprise NX01 his face was well enough known that they couldn’t allow him free reign. It broke her heart that he had returned home only for them to lock him up again. 

To his credit Gabriel never complained, he never pushed her for information she couldn’t readily share or asked her about the thousands of questions she knew he must have. While he was supposed to be on medical leave and was still, despite what he might say to the contrary, in need of it she often found him pouring over ship movements, the attack patterns of the last year and the lists of casualties that had been incurred. Gabriel had never been good at still and quiet; he was much happier doing and trapped within the four small walls at medical and with only access to what they gave him, he was doing his best.

The notification that Discovery had been detected on the long range sensors of listening post Gamma 5 arrived three weeks later and made its way to Command and to her, quickly. The decision was a simple one; she dropped what she was doing and while the Endeavour made preparations to warp out of the Sol system earlier than anticipated Katrina went to collect Gabriel. She found him running steadily on the treadmill that had been installed, sweat dripping from his thin frame and breaths rattling in his chest. Hearing her entry he looked up and dismounted coughing roughly. 

“Here,” she said, handing him a water bottle and eyeing him with concern.

“What’s happened?” he asked, between pants. She didn’t bother asking him how he knew, she suspected it was written in every inch of her frame.

“Discovery’s just appeared on the far edge of the sensors of one of our satellites. All other vessels have been told to avoid the area but we need to leave now if we want to be sure to intercept her.”

“I can shower on board,” Gabriel replied heading for the door, determination written all over his features. 

The transporter left Gabriel reeling on the platform of the Endeavour and it took Sarek as well Katrina to keep him on his feet.

“Apologies,” he murmured, “I might have lost my space legs.”

“There is no need to apologise Captain,” the Vulcan replied calmly.

“Captain Shrell,” Katrina began stepping down to greet the Andorian.

“We’re ready to leave when you are Admiral,” he said in his usual perfunctory manner. Katrina nodded in return and the order to set out was given without delay. “I have a room prepared for you Admiral and you Ambassador, but I wasn’t aware of…”

“That’s fine, Captain, Captain Lorca can borrow my shower while I work.” 

“Then follow me,” he instructed, “we should arrive at our destination in approximately 6 hours.”

Katrina logged into the terminal and tried to concentrate on her work while Gabriel showered, but when he stepped out of the bathroom in uniform she had to double take. 

“Battle dress,” he said with a crooked smile. Some of the physical changes in him were more obvious now that he was in regulation blues she realised as she looked him up and down. He was still far too thin, if not quite as emaciated as the night he’d arrived on her doorstep and when he straightened up under her gaze, she saw the way he rotated his repeatedly injured shoulder. The quiet measured determination of the Gabriel she had known for so long was burning in his eyes though and that was a joy to behold. “What’s your plan?” he asked.

“Shrell and his team will beam directly onto the bridge of Discovery, once it’s secure the Ambassador and I will transport over and I’ll take command, securing the computer. Hopefully it’ll all be over before he knows we know but once I have control of Discovery, Sarek will be able to establish who is who and what’s going on.” Gabriel nodded and swallowed thickly. “I want you to stay here till we know the lay of the land.” Katrina could see his inner conflict, but he did eventually nodd.

“Just... be careful. He’ll have a plan and a back up and he… he won’t necessarily... he’s more rash than I am and…” he stumbled to a stop, frowning deeply.

“Don’t worry, the team will be briefed to shoot first and ask questions later and as long as I can get control of the computer I can stop most things.” Another terse nodd. “Gabriel,” she began, waiting until he looked up from the deck plate, “you don’t have to see him.”

“I’m rather looking forward to seeing him again,” this smile was much more predatory than his last, “I think a few minutes in a brig with only myself for company might be just what the doctor ordered.”

In the end, Katrina beamed across and surprised not to find the other Gabriel on the bridge asked where he was before simply taking control anyway. When several minutes later Sarek told her so bluntly that Lorca was dead, she felt her stomach drop as it had the last time she thought she’d lost Gabriel. The story Saru and his crew had to tell was a strange one, even for someone who had already accepted some of the principles but when they finished and the room had taken a moment to simply absorb the information, she spoke.

“Well, given that you have already exposed your Captain Lorca as an imposter, there’s someone we have on board you might like to meet.”

 

**Epilogue ******

“Captain Saru,” came the intensely familiar drawl from behind him. Turning, Saru met the other man’s eye before glancing down at the extended hand and after a moment reached out to meet it. 

“Acting Captain,” he corrected, formally. 

“Well I don’t think anyone around here is crazy enough to think that I should be in charge of this crew, so I suspect you’re permanent enough.” Uncertain how to respond to this, Saru merely inclined his head. 

“I…” the other man began, his confident mask seeming to slip for a moment “I won’t apologise but I will say that I can only begin to imagine what it was like to work for him, the other me, and how you must all feel now that this is all out in the open. I’ll understand completely if you never want to see my face again but, you’re a remarkable commanding officer to have such a good hold on the situation and it would be an honour to get to know you.” <

Saru watched him carefully, testing his senses over and again to see if there was anything that he should be nervous about. This Lorca was far less intimidating that the alternative version had been on first encounter, not just in physical standing but also in attitude but there was a core of steely strength present in both versions. The story of what had happened to this Captain while his double took his place hadn’t been shared but it seemed clear he hadn’t been enjoying a privileged time. 

“I think,” he began after some time, “that I would like that very much Captain Lorca.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is!  
> This is what I thought was the reasoning behind Cornwell's actions when I saw the preview on After Trek, that they had somehow come across Prime Lorca while Discovery was away and thus already new that the one on Discovery was not who he claimed. Needless to say that did not transpire to be correct.  
> I hope you've enjoyed and I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts here or on twitter @LHA_again  
> thanks for reading :)  
> Lx


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